Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master!

Chapter 548 Madara Uchiha can go wherever he wants

Hashirama Senju still couldn't let go of what happened yesterday.

Although Madara has already apologized, as the Hokage, he still needs an explanation for suddenly using the Complete Susanoo in the center of the village.

He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking again, "Ban, what exactly happened yesterday?"

Madara Uchiha remained silent for a while, then stopped avoiding the question.

"For a while now, there's been something hidden in my consciousness."

"It can't directly control me, but it can influence my judgment by following my anger and suspicion, amplifying those emotions little by little."

""

"That's why I've become increasingly stubborn lately, and even had a falling out with you several times over some trivial disagreements."

Upon hearing these words, Hashirama Senju was stunned for a moment, and Izuna was dumbfounded as well.

"Wait a minute!" Hashirama Senju exclaimed incredulously. "You mean, your sudden irritability and stubbornness lately, almost causing a complete falling out with me several times, is because something is lurking behind you influencing you?"

"You're Uchiha Madara! What in the ninja world could possibly be capable of silently plotting against you?"

Izuna thought about it carefully and realized that his older brother had indeed changed a lot recently.

However, his own son's personality was inherently domineering; once he made up his mind about something, nothing could sway him.

Izuna only thought that his brother had recently become obsessed with something and never considered that there might be other reasons.

By the time he came to his senses, his face was already flushed.

"What on earth is that thing? How dare it attack Nissan!"

Madara Uchiha glanced at the two of them and continued, "Yesterday, I used chakra to shake the meridians in my brain and finally forced it out of my consciousness."

"I could have killed it on the spot, but—"

At this point, he looked at Hashirama Senju.

"You're blocking my way."

Hashirama Senju stared with his mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time.

He went over everything that had happened yesterday and finally understood why the white spot had bled from all seven orifices first and then summoned Susanoo without regard for anything else.

It turned out that the sword strike wasn't aimed at Konoha, but rather at killing whatever had escaped from his body.

He rushed out in a fit of rage, but unexpectedly made things worse, allowing the cowardly fellow to escape in the chaos.

Hashirama Senju's expression shifted several times, but in the end, he couldn't help but offer a defense of himself.

"You can't entirely blame me, can you? If your sword had actually struck, I don't know if that thing would have died, but the village would definitely have been gone first."

Madara Uchiha did not argue and nodded.

"The situation was urgent, and I did lose my composure at the time. You were right to block that sword."

The ward fell silent again.

The audience was already in an uproar.

"this----"

"Is he telling the truth?"

Naruto was the first to speak up.

He touched his head, staring at Madara Uchiha in the image, his face full of confusion.

"If there really was something lurking behind the scenes all along, doesn't that mean that everything he did later wasn't entirely his own intention?"

Kakashi recalled the dark figure that had escaped from Madara Uchiha yesterday.

That thing definitely exists; everyone saw it with their own eyes.

"It's too early to draw that conclusion."

Kakashi shook his head and said very cautiously, "The shadow may have amplified his anger and suspicion, but it may not be able to directly control his will. Even Madara Uchiha himself did not put all the blame on it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been frowning, sighed thoughtfully upon hearing this.

"But this possibility does exist. Given the First Hokage's personality, the fact that he was willing to join forces with him to establish Konoha back then shows that Madara Uchiha wasn't as crazy as he became later."

"Their journey from building a village side by side to turning against each other in the Valley of the End is truly remarkable. Looking back now, there are indeed many suspicious aspects to it."

Danzo sat to the side, narrowed his eyes, and said, "That might be the most reasonable explanation."

"Given Madara's pride, if he truly wanted to destroy Konoha, he wouldn't stoop to such underhanded tactics. The fact that he gradually became so fanatical, even to the point of completely severing ties with Hashirama Senju, suggests that someone was likely behind it all."

"Didn't you say before that Madara Uchiha was inherently rebellious and untrustworthy? You actually dared to say that." Tsunade glanced at Danzo with a cold smile.

Danzo remained calm and said indifferently, "Different ideologies do not conflict with being schemed against. I am simply stating the facts."

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored their argument and simply stared at the screen with a complicated expression.

"That thing lurking in the shadows is really troublesome. If it can truly influence Madara Uchiha silently and thus stir up trouble between him and the First Hokage, and has been plotting behind the scenes for so many years—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew increasingly solemn.

"What exactly does it want to do?"

Obito sat in the corner, remaining silent the entire time.

While others remained skeptical, he knew perfectly well that what Madara Uchiha said was likely true.

Black Zetsu had just used Madara Uchiha's name to urge him on.

In retrospect, how many of those so-called orders actually came from Madara Uchiha?

How many of these are simply Black Zetsu's arbitrary actions?

It's hard to say for sure now.

If even Madara Uchiha was being manipulated without his knowledge, then what I've been following all these years—was it Madara Uchiha's arrangement, or another script that had already been written?

A chill crept up his back, and Obito's expression, hidden beneath his mask, became more solemn than ever before.

on the screen.

After learning that Madara Uchiha's recent unusual behavior had another reason, Hashirama Senju and Izuna Uchiha finally relaxed a little.

Madara Uchiha didn't let them relax for long, saying seriously, "That thing has escaped, but the matter is not over yet."

"Since it could affect me silently the first time, it could come back. Next time, I might not be able to detect it in time."

Hashirama Senju sat up straight, and Izuna frowned again.

They all knew that as long as that thing hadn't been eliminated, everyone would remain in danger.

-

Madara Uchiha turned to look at Hashirama Senju and said earnestly, "Hashirama, I don't want to ruin our relationship because of something like this."

"If one day I become as unreasonable as before, and I can't listen to anything you say, then it's very likely that it's come back."

"When the time comes, don't worry about my status, just find a way to wake me up."

Hashirama Senju was stunned by what he heard.

He looked into Madara Uchiha's earnest eyes, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, unsure of what to say.

Ban was always confident and arrogant, and rarely thought about the worst-case scenario so seriously.

This left Hashirama Senju somewhat at a loss.

Hashirama Senju coughed lightly and scratched the back of his head.

"What did you say? Of course I'm not going to leave you alone."

"If that day ever comes, I'll definitely wake you up."

Sitting on the other side, Uchiha Izuna watched the two of them acting as if no one else was around, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

It wasn't that he doubted his importance in Nissan's heart.

It was just that his own brother rarely spoke so frankly, and the recipient was an outsider like Hashirama Senju, which made him somewhat unhappy.

Izuna gave a soft hum and turned her face away, pursing her lips.

Madara Uchiha naturally didn't miss his brother's little trick.

He looked at Izuna, his gaze softening slightly.

"Izuna, you are my most important family member."

"You are my only brother, and that will never change."

Uchiha Izuna shuddered, and his ears quickly turned a light red. The slight displeasure he had just felt vanished completely.

"Actually, I also made some oversights," he said softly.

"I should have noticed Nissan's strange behavior earlier. If I had noticed sooner, you wouldn't have had to—"

By the end, Izuna's voice was filled with self-reproach.

Madara Uchiha shook his head and said, "Even I only recently realized it, so it's normal that you haven't noticed."

As soon as he finished speaking, the strange behavior of Black Zetsu in reality and the whispers in his dream once again connected in his mind.

Then, he thought of the stone tablet that had solidified his resolve to implement the Eye of the Moon plan, and his brows furrowed.

Madara Uchiha threw off the covers and prepared to get up.

The moment my feet touched the ground, a sharp pain shot through my head.

Izuna and Hashirama reached out at the same time, one on each side, and helped him back to bed.

"Nissan, what are you doing?"

Izuna's tone suddenly became urgent.

"You're badly injured, and you've only just woken up, where do you think you're going?"

"that is."

Hashirama Senju also put on a stern face.

"The medical team said your brain meridians are damaged and you need to rest. Why are you getting out of bed and running around?"

Madara Uchiha pushed their hands away and said calmly, "This injury won't kill me. There's something I need to confirm myself."

Hashirama and Izuna exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

Izuna asked first, "Confirm what?"

Hashirama quickly added, "You've only just woken up. Can't we wait until you're healed before discussing anything?"

Madara Uchiha did not answer, but instead threw back the covers and stood up.

Izuna wanted to persuade him again, but seeing his unyielding demeanor, he could only quickly step forward to help him up. Hashirama Senju stood guard on the other side, ready to prevent him from falling down again.

The three of them left the ward and walked along the wooden corridor onto the street.

It wasn't until he saw the scene outside that Madara Uchiha realized that the damage he had caused yesterday was more serious than he had anticipated.

The Hokage Building that once stood in the center of the village has completely disappeared, leaving only a ruin piled with broken wood and stones.

The nearest streets were also ravaged by the shockwaves from the battle between the two giants, leaving many houses with only leaning walls and exposed beams and pillars.

Further away, although the roofs did not completely collapse, most of the roof tiles and doors and windows were damaged.

Many residents stood by the temporary shelter, watching the ninjas salvage usable items from the ruins.

No one died in the village, but many were injured, and many more lost their homes overnight.

The ninjas moved among the ruins in twos and threes, carrying away broken wood and clearing away rubble, their faces filled with the exhaustion of not having slept.

Tobirama Senju stood near the former site of the Hokage Building, leading a team of ninjas to clean up the scene. While arranging for the medical team to change the wounded's dressings, he also had usable supplies sent to the temporary shelter, his voice already hoarse from shouting.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and immediately saw Uchiha Madara.

Tobirama's face immediately darkened.

"Uchiha Madara!" He strode forward and roared, "You still have the nerve to show your face?"

"As the Hokage, it's one thing to fail to protect the village, but to personally destroy Konoha like this!"

"Do you even know how many people have become homeless because of you? You don't deserve to be Hokage at all!"

The sound carried far, and many busy ninjas nearby stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Some people looked at the ruins behind them with fear in their eyes, while others looked at them with dissatisfaction. However, due to Madara Uchiha's past power, no one dared to speak up.

"Tobirama, calm down."

Hashirama quickly stepped in front of his younger brother and explained, "There's more to this story. Madara didn't destroy the village on purpose; he was chasing an enemy who had entered his consciousness."

"Don't put it so harshly."

"The inside story?" Tobirama Senju was so angry that his eyes hurt. He looked past his brother and stared intently at Madara Uchiha.

"What inside story could be more absurd than Konoha being smashed to ruins by its own Hokage?"

Madara Uchiha did not argue.

His gaze swept around, and he saw that most of the ninjas who met his eyes subconsciously lowered their heads, as if avoiding a ferocious beast that might go out of control at any moment.

Several members of the Uchiha clan stood on the street corner, watching him from a distance.

In the past, these people always looked at him with fervor and faith.

Now, however, he appears fearful, and there's a hint of hesitation about whether he should continue to trust him.

Madara Uchiha looked at them quietly for a moment, then spoke under everyone's gaze: "I made a mistake this time. I will take full responsibility for the reconstruction of the village, the treatment of the injured, and the resettlement and compensation of the residents."

"But before dealing with these matters, I must first confirm something that concerns the safety of the entire Hidden Leaf Village."

He bowed his head to the crowd around him.

"Feel sorry."

After saying that, Madara Uchiha stopped trying to defend himself and turned to walk towards the Uchiha clan's territory.

The surroundings became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Tobirama Senju remained standing there, watching Madara Uchiha's receding figure, lost in thought for a long time.

"He actually apologized in front of so many people?"

Madara Uchiha was heading to the Naga Shrine.

The deepest underground stone chamber of the shrine is a forbidden area guarded by the Uchiha clan for generations.

There is a stone tablet there that is said to have been left by the Sage of Six Paths.

The contents of the stone tablet cannot be read in an ordinary way; only the Uchiha clan can decipher its secrets using their eye power.

In reality, when he lost Izuna and was utterly disappointed with the path Hashirama had chosen, he found a path to higher ocular power in the inscriptions he could decipher at the time.

The words seemed to be a guide prepared specifically for him, leading him to believe that the answer was hidden deep within the stone tablet.

Before leaving Konoha, he had already memorized the patterns on the entire stone tablet using his Sharingan.

It wasn't until his later years, when he awakened the Rinnegan, that the things he couldn't understand before began to reveal their true meaning in his memories. He also saw the complete record of the Infinite Tsukuyomi and gradually became convinced that the Eye of the Moon Plan was the only way to save the ninja world.

In retrospect, the timing of its occurrence was incredibly opportune.

If what's hidden in his mind can amplify his suspicions and influence his judgment on the same matter, then has the stone tablet that made him decide to gamble his life also been tampered with?

The real-life Nanga Shrine is still located in Konoha.

Given his current status, if he were to sneak back into the village to carefully examine the stone tablet, it would not only cause a commotion but could also alert Black Zetsu prematurely.

This dream, however, gave him the perfect opportunity.

Here, he is both the Hokage of Konoha and the head of the Uchiha clan, and he can go wherever he wants.

The three of them soon arrived at the entrance of the shrine.

It was very quiet all around, with only the wind rustling through the treetops.

Madara Uchiha did not stop, but went straight up the stone steps and pushed open the door to enter the shrine.

When Hashirama Senju first entered the Uchiha clan's forbidden area, his face was full of doubt, and he could only follow closely behind.

Izuna was familiar with the shrine, but had never stepped into the underground stone chamber.

He didn't know what his brother wanted to confirm, but seeing that Ban's steps never stopped, he could only suppress his questions and follow.

The three of them made their way to the deepest part of the shrine.

Madara Uchiha raised his hand and pushed open a wooden door.

Izuna glanced at Hashirama Senju behind him, seemingly wanting to remind his brother that this was a forbidden area of ​​the clan.

"Keep up."

Madara Uchiha said calmly, and walked down the stone steps behind the door.

The air inside the stone chamber was cold and dry, quite unlike the dampness outside.

Several ever-burning lamps hung on the rock walls on both sides, their light illuminating an ancient stone tablet about the height of a person in the center.

The surface of the stone tablet is covered with intricate patterns and characters, and the edges still bear the mottled marks left by the erosion of time.

Madara Uchiha stopped in front of the stone tablet, silently activating his Sharingan, and the three tomoe quickly connected to form a kaleidoscope pattern.

As soon as his pupil power condensed, his still-healing brain meridians began to throb with pain, but this did not cause his self-light to deflect.

What he needs to check now is not what the inscription says, but whether the engravings that carry the content are truly from the same source as the original stele.

"Ban, what are you looking at?"

Hashirama Senju stared at the stone tablet for a long time, but he couldn't make out any content because the patterns were so intertwined. Finally, he couldn't help but ask.

Izuna explained, "This is a stone tablet left by the Sage of Six Paths, which is said to contain the oldest secret of the Uchiha clan."

"Only those who have awakened the Sharingan can decipher its contents. The stronger the eye power, the more one can see. According to the clan's rules, only the successive clan heads are qualified to study it carefully."

"I've never seen this before, and I don't know what Nissan is looking for now."

Hashirama Senju only understood half of what he heard.

Seeing that Madara Uchiha was watching intently, and worried about disturbing him by making a sound, he stopped asking questions and simply stood aside patiently waiting.

Time passed slowly, and only the soft crackling of the ever-burning lamp remained in the stone chamber.

This time, Madara Uchiha did not focus solely on interpreting the message conveyed by the stone tablet, unlike before.

He pushed his pupil power to its limit, scanning every mark inch by inch with his gaze, and repeatedly checking the patterns leading to deeper layers of the inscription with his memory of reality.

There were no abnormalities at first.

The engravings on the front half of the stone tablet echo each other, and whether it is the writing style or the way each stroke turns, they all seem to be from the same hand.

When his gaze fell upon the part of the pattern that led to the Infinite Tsukuyomi, a subtle break finally appeared in the originally continuous trace.

At first glance, the connection appears to be seamlessly integrated with the preceding text, and even with a kaleidoscope of perspectives, it is very easy to mistake it for the original structure of the stone tablet.

Only by examining each inch with clear suspicion can one discover subtle misalignments in the direction and placement of several lines, some of which even cover the original engravings.

More importantly, the downward extension of these unusual patterns corresponds precisely to the passage he read and memorized in reality for decades.

In the past, he never doubted the stone tablet, only focusing on finding the answers he wanted from the words, and naturally never carefully examined every engraving that carried the answers.

Now, upon closer examination with skepticism, the flaws are laid bare.

Madara Uchiha stared intently at the fault line with his Mangekyou Sharingan.

After checking it repeatedly, he finally confirmed that his guess was correct—the stone tablet had indeed been tampered with.

The idea of ​​using Infinite Tsukuyomi to save the ninja world was not an answer left by the Sage of Six Paths, but rather something that someone later forcibly added to the stone tablet.

A chill ran down my spine.

Madara Uchiha was arrogant throughout his life and never believed that he could be manipulated by anyone.

This stone tablet, however, made him face reality.

The Infinite Tsukuyomi may indeed exist, but the salvation promised by the stone tablet is false.

He staked everything he had on this, and only then did he realize that the answer he thought he had found was nothing more than a scam prepared specifically for him by someone else.

Izuna quickly noticed his brother's unusual behavior and stepped forward to ask, "Brother, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with this stone tablet?"

Hashirama Senju asked gravely, "Madara, what exactly did you discover?"

Madara Uchiha stared at the stone tablet and said helplessly, "The contents of the stone tablet have been altered; they are fake."

"What?"

Uchiha Izuna and Senju Hashirama were both speechless with astonishment.

Hashirama Senju quickly walked to his side, looked down at the stone tablet and examined it again and again, but could only see a bunch of inexplicable ancient patterns.

He couldn't understand the stone tablet, but he could hear an unprecedented desolation in Madara Uchiha's tone.

Izuna also found it difficult to understand.

"Who could evade the clan's guards and the secrets of past clan chiefs to tamper with this stone tablet that no one ever sees?"

Hashirama Senju frowned, still unable to understand why this had caused Madara to become like this.

"So what if they're fake? They're just some inscriptions on monuments—"